Confessions of a Sweepaholic

My name is Ann and I'm a Sweepaholic. I wasn't always like this. I used to play Yahoo games. I was able to limit myself to mainly Bejeweled and Tiptop. I could stop after two hours. Then people started laughing at me for playing games, told me what a waste of my good brain that was. Sure, I said, but it might keep Alzheimer's at bay (but not RSI at my keyboard). I got so good. Sometimes the game would take so long, I'd have to take a nap and continue later. I could play for money, I reasoned, but I wasn't that good. I needed to direct my energy into something that could yield a buck or two while wearing pajama bottoms and a long-sleeved shirt.

That's when the neuron telling me to make money and the neuron wanting money to yield to my granddaughter's wish for an iPod Touch collided, and I googled. I've written about how I found Walmart's "11 Moms" each giving away an iTouch. It was like a free sample of crack cocaine, introducing me to the seriously Type A world of Mom bloggers. I was a mom like them 30 years ago. I qualified.

Then I won something. It wasn't one of the iPods, but it was a Flip camcorder, and I know my granddaughter would love it. She was elated. I was hooked. Then I won $14 in Kraft coupons, one of which was for Triscuits, my all time favorite cracker. My favorites bar became peppered with daily entries: iPod 1-5, Prius 1-3, a year's supply of Annie's, Olive Garden's trip to Italy. My next win was a $700 gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods. Hurray - a bike for both Teresa and Mikela and some boating items for my son. This is cool. Next I want to win a designer handbag for Jodi, who's on a limited budget, and maybe a watch for myself (my Timex keeps ticking but it's falling apart). Jodi also wants me to win a trip to NYC, and I would enjoy that, too.

I've never been into fashion or makeup or designer this or that, but I just had to watch the Confessions of Shopaholic movie. I see how similar we are - she maxes out her credit card and I max out my entries to win the same things. The difference is she wants all this stuff for herself. I just want to pass these items on to my friends and family members who actually love this stuff. In other words, I enter giveaways to give away. I love it! But I'll have to stop discussing this for now. Madberries and March Madness sweeps are calling me.